Monday, April 28, 2008

This weekend we celebrated Erin Elton home! After months away in NYC, she came home to relax in the sun and catch up with old friends and faces. We started off the day at the beach in Laguna with all the girls and enjoyed the heat wave that settled in southern California for the weekend. It was a picture perfect day!

The night found us all at the Cheesecake Factory where we wined and dined til the sun went down. Notice everyone's glowing tans. Mine is more like a fiery sunburn.

Me & Erin. The signature pose. Would you expect anything else?

After dinner Erin had to leave for the Galaxy game so Allie and I decided to play "Thelma & Louise" for the night and drive my Mommy's CLK up the coast, topless! Haha. I love my Mommy's convertible.

But I love my little Allie more!

We sang at the top of our lungs the entire time! Isn't that what girls do?

Once in Huntington we stopped to pick up a few groupies. Namely, THE Mike Cunningham and my girl crush, Miss Emily Hatch!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

I love gum with a little fruit flavor. Every time I'm in line at the grocery store I find myself looking to see what new fruity flavor the gum guys have come out with next. Today I tried three new flavors from Ice Breakers: Kiwi Watermelon, Raspberry Sorbet, and Dragonfruit freeze. Yum, yum, and yum!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Sunday evening I enjoyed the sunset from Villa de Hazzy, one of the most beautiful beach houses in Monarch Beach. Many gracious thanks to Steve for sharing just one of his many blessings with me. Life is good.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Another one done! Last week we handed over the keys to this adorable French Provence home (also in Shady Canyon) to the parent's of Casa de la Luz (see previous post). This house was so much fun to design and I think its adorable. I loved being a part of the design process for this home. Enjoy!

The home is hidden by olive trees, lots of lavender, and other tuscan garden elements.

Welcome to Provence.

The courtyard is filled with the sweet aroma of orange trees.

Its all in the details.

The textures in this home are so beautiful. I love everything from the warm terra cotta tiles, to the soft venetian plaster, the rich wood tones, and even the custom designed stair rail.

The Great Room

Our beautiful Ebanista furnishings.

This kitchen screams French! The tiles you see are hand-painted and imported from Europe, and if you click on the photo you'll notice the intricate hand-painting of every cabinet. And I love the blue island.

We upholstered the walls of this Powder room in fabric for a more unique look.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Last month we finished a huge project we've been working on for several years known as Casa de la Luz, or House of the Light. Its a Mexican Hacienda style home in Shady Canyon, but with all the authentic richness you would expect to find deep in the heart of Mexico. Here are just a few pictures of the finished product . . .

This 17,000 sq. ft. beauty sits perched atop its own hill in Shady Canyon and spans 3 full lots and claims a golf course, mountain, city, and ocean view. Talk about prime property.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Tonight my girlfriends and I got together for our monthly book group to discuss our last great read, "The Late Bloomer's Revolution" by Amy Cohen. I can't believe how much I related to the character in this book. I really grew to love her as she shared her complications with men and dating. Here's a little peak into one of her rants about men:

"I had often said I felt like a house men were happy to rent, but when it came time to buy, they balked. Several boyfriends had told me that being in a relationship with me required work. A lot of extensive work. I was not the brand-new house with central air and freshly polished hardwood floors, the one that was ready to move into immediately. I was the fixer-upper with plenty of room for improvement, one the real estate agent says, 'could be a gem if you're willing to do an enormous, exhausting amount of work.' I was the house in desperate need of renovation. And if I kept eating the way I was . . . I'd be the biggest house on the block."

I love Amy's witty humor. She says what most women only dare to think and its hillarious! If you're single and looking for a fun read, this is the book for you.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Friday, April 11, 2008

I have SPRING FEVER! Today at work I had to stop in at Pottery Barn kids at South Coast Plaza, and we all know that I can't go to South Coast and not stop in at their fabulous Nordstrom (plus, I had a Nordie's gift card burning a whole in my wallet!) So, to get to the point of this post...has anyone seen the new Tory Burch sandals out this season. I have to admit, I coveted when I saw them. They're insane! I actually first saw them at a darling little boutique in Corona Del Mar as I was window shopping with my mom. They come in the most amazing colors: black, white, tan, fuchsia, orange, and canary. And just so you know, if they weren't $175 a pair, I would have bought one of each. I also wouldn't mind one of these adorable straw and patent leather handbags to go with. Thanks Tory for brightening my day. I'll keep saving my pennies. I love Spring shopping...even if its just window shopping!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

My little sister Kellie was on TV today! She's the new swimsuit model for MODBE clothing, a modest clothing line out of Utah. She modeled one of their new swimsuit designs for 2008 on ABC's Good Things Utah. Click HERE to watch. She's the last one to model at the end of the video in this sea foam green tankini. She was absolutely adorable!

Tomorrow we hand over the key to our last project in beautiful Shady Canyon. It's been so fun working on Casa de la Luz and the little Provence home down the road. Everytime I drive through the gates I feel like I've been transported to old world tuscany. I'll miss you Shady.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Soon we'll begin the building of another home in Crystal Cove. This house is going to be insane! No exaggerations here! This monstrosity of a house will be built on this amazing double lot (with the Fari sign), overlooking the Newport Beach coastline. Right now we've calculated the square footage to be about 31,000 square feet, the largest home to be built in Crystal Cove. She's gonna' be a beauty!

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Saturday night during the Priesthood Session of General Conference, a few of my girlfriends got together at Corrine's house to enjoy a delicious dinner of green, pasta, and fruit salads, and the most amazing desserts. Corrine did a great job as hostess and everything was so beautiful. There's nothing better than quality time spent with my girls!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

I decided to spend my 26th birthday this year in New York City. The original plan was to get all my girlfriends from CA to come along, but instead I brought one, and the rest just met me from all over the US. I felt so loved and had the time of my life. Enjoy the documentary of our trip!

I knew my flight to Kuaui for $129 was too good to be true. I'd like to take a moment to personally thank Aloha Airlines for declaring bankruptcy and ruining my travel plans to Kuaui in June. Good for nothing dirty rotten scoundrels! Now what am I supposed to do? Row a boat there? Blast!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

As I drove into work this morning, a radio DJ was talking about a new study that was just done by some, oh, i don't know, big wig university, about shoes. They said that those people who buy 3 or more pairs of shoes a year are 61% more likely to be better leaders. So does that mean my 10-12 shoe purchases a year makes me an exceptional leader...or maybe just a bossy one? Either way, I always knew a girl could never have too many shoes.